School visits are definitely one of my favorite parts of being an author. Here, in no particular order, are some reasons why:
• Pajama Day: Please, oh please, invite me to your school on pajama day! Nothing makes me happier than kids in pajamas. (If you ask nicely, I may even join in!)
• The heartfelt and encouraging art advice I’m given when I confess my books are all illustrated by someone else because I have no talent in art. I come away feeling convinced that maybe I can draw, if only I try a little harder.
• The quiet boy in the back, or the neurodivergent girl in the mix, who pushes him or herself to ask me a question. Usually a good one!
• Teachers: It’s not a scientific sampling, but I am unfailingly impressed with the teachers and school librarians who invite me to talk to their classes. They are funny, warm, enthusiastic, and totally dedicated. Maybe it’s self-selecting; teachers who think books are important are obviously going to be the very best teachers!
• The ideas: I always ask my audience if there’s anything they’d like to see in a book, but haven’t yet. Their answers are a lot of fun. Sometimes it’s a sports figure or a singer; sometimes I get an entire plot line. Usually at least one student requests that I write a book about a kid named _______ (fill in the name of the person asking the question!).
• The thought that I am making reading come alive, that maybe these kids will experience the magic of reading the way I do, and that it’s entirely within the realm of possibility that one or two of them will become writers themselves.
See you at school!